Merry Christmas

Mother's Day {gift guide}

Mother's Day is right around the corner...

Why not visit Amy's Monkeys and choose the perfect apron 

for the special kitchen maverick in the family...

Vintage floral

 

Black Screen and Yellow Swirl

Or the fun and colorful

 Jess Apron

For the busy mom that needs a great bag for everyday

go for one of the  

Pintuck Hobos

Or a fun summer bag

Yellow Floral

Chevron Dot

For the organizing mom a zipper pouch keeps all the little things together 

instead of floating around the bottom of her bag.

Gray Chevron and Aqua Dot

Rainbow Zigzag and Yellow

Just Springy

The Mama to Be should be remembered too!

Head to the baby shop to celebrate the new mama!

In order to get to you in time orders must be placed by Monday.

All items will ship out Tuesday priority mail to ensure delivery by Saturday.

Happy Shopping and Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

Until next time!

Other Plans

When I started spring break I had grand plans and longs lists.

A couple days in I was knocked down by a head cold.

I look at it this way,

that annoying cold was God's way of saying,

"Nope, I don't think so, you need to rest this week."

So that's what I did,

I stopped, I rested, and I became healthy again.

Isn't it funny how our plans

get overruled by the One who has made the grand plan?!?

I know I needed to rest and center myself to finish the school year,

but all those days of not going to school and working

had to be filled by something.

I thought I could get so much done,

but what I did get done was what I really needed.

Do I still want to get things checked off my list?

Of course!

More importantly I want to be healthy to enjoy my family and my home.

Resting felt good and I am trying to not feel guilty about

so much left on the list.

There will be time,

it just wasn't time right now.

Happy Easter!  Blessed be in His name!

Until next time,

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all have a wonderful day with your families!

{thankful}

To say we've had an interesting past three years might be the understatement of the year, but it truly has been interesting. 

 We went from two full time jobs to only one.  

From a dad that hated his work to a dad that has found his passion in his new work. Seeing him thrilled to delve into a brand new venture has been so exciting!

A dad that is willing and able to help out with school projects anytime. 

 From income that barely paid the bills to much less income that has made us so much better stewards of our finances.  

Amazingly we are thriving!  

So am I thankful this year??  

Oh you bet!  

I am thankful for circumstances flinging us into a new life, 

time with each other, 

healthy and growing boys (well maybe not the growing part...I will be the shortest one in the house next year...I bet), 

deeper love for my husband than I had the day I knew I loved him forever, 

and being able to create freely in this house  

(we may have dust bunnies and bits of stuff everywhere, but creating is flourishing!).

We have more than enough and for that I am eternally grateful!  

We are on an amazing journey so carefully scripted...I cannot wait to see where it leads!

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving 

loving, eating, and laughing with all those you hold dear to your hearts!

Until next time,

Linking up with sweet Casey

Homemade Halloween

My boys are usually pretty ambitious with their Halloween costume ideas.  I guess they know their mama and daddy love a challenge and are just as detail oriented as they are!  So this year was no different!

My Lukas decided he wanted to be Doctor Who (the David Tennet version), so we went through closets and made a list of what we needed to make and or find for him.  It was so much fun seeing him get excited when we found the perfect suit at the thrift store.  With just a few alterations he was ready to assume the character in full force!

Nikolas's costume was more of a challenge.  My sweet spiky haired boy wanted to be Ezio from the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood video game.  Holy smokes!  This costume is medieval times and very detailed.  There was no pattern and no running out to purchase unless I had an extra couple of hundred bucks to blow.  Since that wasn't going to happen we headed to Joann's and got some great fabric on super sale!  I got busy trying to recreate each piece of the costume.  I am so pleased with how it turned out!

Kenny and Zackery were easy.  Zombies.  Another trip to the thrift store and a couple of questionable suits later we have great costume materials!  I let them do their thing and I think they were pretty successful with the creepy factor as long as they didn't break out into smiles! 

I loved the challenges they brought us this year!  It was fun and we got all four of them decked out for less than $50!  Way better than we could have done if we bought everyone a store made costume!

Until next time,

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!

I found this old barn complete with a beautiful flag in honor of Independence Day.



This day is for all those that stand up and are so very proud to live in a land where we can celebrate, complain, argue, thrive, and enjoy the ups and downs of this crazy world.

Happy Birthday America!

Happy Father's Day

N, L, and K building away

My heart melted for this man when he said,

"I know I'll be a good dad because I had such a great example."

Oh my word! Is there a better compliment a son can give to his father?!? K has his moments just like any other human being in the world, but under everything he is an awesome dad.

My boys are so blessed!

I am so blessed to have been put on the path to find this man to raise children with everyday!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has an amazing year ahead of them!

I am looking forward to what 2011 has in store for my family. Our 2010 was a bumpy ride, but I learned a lot about myself, my family, and just what we're made of during those trying days!

Here's to fresh starts, love, laughter, and happiness in the new year!

Until next time,

Such a Good Day

Do you ever have one of those days where everyone in your house is smiling most of the day? That's exactly what happened in my house yesterday. We told the boys we were going to have a toned down Christmas since K still hasn't found a new job, so they thought it was going to be pretty bare bones. I guess we surprised them because when Z saw the tree he made the comment that he thought this was gong to be a "smaller Christmas". K and I found good deals and paid cash for everything, so to us it was a toned down day.

Z met me as my bedroom door opened at 4 o'clock. He was so excited! Did I mention he is taller than me and almost 13 years old and he still loves the surprise of Christmas? I am so thankful for that kid! We got the Cinnamon Rolls ready and waited for the little boys to wake up. Finally about 6 o'clock he couldn't stand it anymore and asked his daddy if he could wake up his brothers.

There were smiles and a few surprised looks. Not so many things that they got tired of opening, but enough to keep them busy building Lego sets for a few days!

I hope everyone else had a great day too!

Until next time,

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours we wish you all a wonderful family filled Christmas and an amazing new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!


May your bellies be happy and your hearts full as you spend this day with friends and family!

Veteran's Day

Today I want to thank all of my friends and family members who have chosen to serve our country in the military! We have every branch covered by someone we know and love very much. I am so very proud and humbled to have these brave souls in our family circle! The Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines are lucky to have or have had your time and your dedication to the defense of our great nation!

My pap was so very proud of his Navy career. We were blessed this year when he passed away to have a full military color guard presentation of the flag to my grandmother. To see these young soldiers show such honor to a man who loved his Navy brought tears to my eyes.

So today it is our duty to honor and salute those active members and those that have retired from the armed forces! We should be humbled by the choice made to serve, it is an awesome responsibility.

Hug a veteran or active member and say, "THANK YOU!" For all you do!

Until next time,

Happy Halloween!

Our Lego Lava Rock Monster and Star Wars Galactic Marine
I love the power of cardboard, duck tape, fabric, and spray paint!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Independence Day! We will be eating messy watermelon and watching Uncle J set off fireworks in front of my in-law's house. It's a tradition! We've been doing it since the monkeys were toddling around the yard and all of us were on high alert to keep them away from the flames. My how times change! Anyway, I hope you all have a great day!!

Until next time,

Memorial Day

As I remember my grandfather's ultimate sacrifice on this special day I am also so very mindful of the men and women who give up so much of their families' lives, but get to come home! I hope everyone takes a moment to remember just how many different ways these men and women sacrifice everyday!

I saw this video on another blog and I had to share it too! Be warned a box a tissues will be needed!



Until next time,

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends!

Merry Christmas

From our house to all of yours…we wish you a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year!

Love lots,

The Monkey Pak